


Demon, Devil, Destiny, Death

by KataraTakaran



Category: One Piece
Genre: Bepo is a good bear, Canon-Typical Violence, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante Lives, Horns Fangs & Claws AU, Hunting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Injury & treatment, Pseudoscience, canonical illness, graphic description of illness, more tags to come, sassy children, will of D headcannons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2019-10-28 14:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17789387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KataraTakaran/pseuds/KataraTakaran
Summary: "My full name is Trafalgar D. Water Law." He elaborated.His nails pinched as he reached up; keeping them so short was barely worth the pain. But his fluffy hat came off easily enough. Under it, his horns were starting to grow points. Swooping back from his hairline, melting into his skull with his temples, almost like they belonged.[[ exploring an AU where D’s have distinguishing features from other humans ]]





	1. Survival

Corazon was first aware of the pain. It lanced through his body, gripping his organs, biting deep into his muscles, rubbing raw in his joints. He had been shot, many, many times, though. The fact that he was alive at all was a miracle.

He clenched his fists slowly, then forced his body to relax. To let go of the pain. It still hurt like a bitch, but at least he wasn’t going to keel over vomiting. It was only then that he opened his eyes.

Snow was expected. His toque slipped as he raised his head, covering his eyes.

“Law?” He asked, pushing it back up. Hopefully the boy was far, far away by now, and even further from Doffy. 

“Coming,” Corazon began to curse his luck when the boy’s voice processed. He sounded weird. So did his footsteps through the snow. Far too heavy, far to long in stride. “Cora-san, don’t sit up too fast.”

“What-“ he lurched upright to get the imposter in his sights. His entire body protested, screaming at him. A cramp raked claws down his side before the agony even slowed, forcing him back into the ground he’d just risen from. Had the gunshots become infected? They felt so much worse than usu- his hands were wrong.

They were small and stubby and clawed, dark with lead-bleached splotches. These were Law’s hands.

And Law-

His own face appeared beside him, his hands - so much larger than Law’s - reached out gently. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“Law?!” Corazon breathed, alarm and confusion twisting at his already agitated stomach. His body nodded. His eyes looked so tired. “What happened?”

Law lifted him before he answered, and bundled them both in the feather coat. The warmth of his larger body helped the nausea and the cramping.

“I panicked. I think I did something with the op-op fruit, but I’m not sure. You were passed out, so I carried us to a different part of the island. Staunched your wounds. I’m sorry, I couldn’t save your shirt; I had to use it for bandages.” Law clung to him, supporting every inch of the sick body he usually resided in.

“I see. It’s fine, shirts can be replaced.” He flexed his hands again. ”Your body feels like crap.” He stated, well aware that Law was well aware.

“Amber Lead disease isn’t exactly a picnic,” Law smirked weakly at that. “Your legs are too damn long.”

“They are.” Corazon chuckled, only for it to turn into a cough. God, Law was just a little boy. He shouldn’t be in this much pain, ever. Never mind constantly. If he looked for it, he could almost feel the edges of each white blotch sizzling away at the unmarred skin. Burning away the pigment. Reducing life to ash.

Law patted his back a little awkwardly, aware of just how big his hands were, and how strong a body of this size was.

“We should move soon, though. I think I saw smoke over the next ridge, there may be another town. Warm us up, then try and put us back?”

“It wouldn’t be wise to go into town,” Corazon shook his head. “Nor to light a fire here. Do you know how to sail any?”

“Just from watching you.”

“I’ll help where I can. We can get this sorted out in a few islands. Put some distance. Are you up to stealing a dingy? Ours has probably been destroyed.”

“I can. The bullets honestly hurt less than the lead.” He stood, and immediately cracked Corazon’s head on the ceiling of the cave. Corazon grimaced, for both reasons. No, they were going to have to fix this immediately, and he would hold out in the boy’s body as long as necessary. Law wasn’t allowed to suffer this again.

“Too fucking tall, too,” Law complained, this time ducking out into the snow. He bore Corazon easily. “Where’s your counterbalance? No tail is weird, how do you all live like this?” Maybe he was running his mouth a little, but Corazon didn’t mind. It was helpfully distracting.

“Hmpf, you say that like I’m not in the same boat, kid,” he scoffed, poking his head through the opening in the coat so he could see. Snow and cold. A single smoke line over the next ridge. Maybe not a town, but certainly a settlement of some sort.

He was ignoring their biological differences, and the pain was moderately helping. Curling tight into the encompassing grip was about all he wanted to do.

“I suppose it would be weird to suddenly have one too,” Law conceded.

He lurched suddenly a few miles down, sinking deep into a sudden drift. He hissed tightly as he straightened, footing regained. “Cora-san- claws-!”

“Cl- damn it, sorry, I forgot-“ he eased them free, “are you okay?”

“Im fine,” Law adjusted Corazon’s weight. “Your proportions.”

Corazon grinned sheepishly; even he hadn’t managed to coordinate those yet, and he’d had them a long, long time. He had no doubts Law was doing amazingly for the bare few hours he’d had. The ridge rose above them now, likely the last stretch before the settlement. Getting up was a slow slog through snow, but easy enough. It was the far side that proved problematic.

The drop was sheer enough to nearly constitute as a cliff. At the very base, a lone house stood next to a barn-sized building made of clear glass. Odd choice. Law considered the land about him, and decided the ridge nearer the glass building looked more scalable.

He proceeded, and proceeded to slip. Ice, of course Corazon’s body would find some. He careened out of control with a yelp. Right off the side of the mountain. He went through the glass roof, and belly-flopped into the tables of greenery below. Corazon landed on his back a moment later, breaking the table.

“Ow.” Was the shared sentiment.


	2. Local sassy boi spouts pseudo-science

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should i be tagging this as a sickfic? I mean? Baby law is automatic sickfic expectation, so
> 
> Mebs let me know in the comments?

He still hurt - amber lead hurt, not gunshot hurt - when he woke again. Corazon groaned, and sat up slowly. Law’s body protested, but didn’t rip him in half again. “Law?”

“-ust a sec, I think he’s awake-“ Law entered through a doorway, avoiding the doorframe carefully. Corazon’s face was bruised and slashed by the glass, the hard landing, and anything else he’d hit. He favoured his ribs, walking slowly. “Cora-san, are you alright?”

“Yeah; I think the impact knocked me out, but I don’t feel any extra injuries.” He flexed his hands. Granted, the lead was a big feeling for him, and other injuries might be hiding under the overwhelming one. He’d keep an eye out.

“Thank god,” Law scooped him into a hug. Corazon reciprocated the best he could - his body really was excessively large.

Over his shoulder, though, a stranger stood in the doorway. An old man. Grumpy, but not exceedingly cold. Law looked up when he spoke.

“So the brat tells me you’re actually the old man,” he began, “but you’ve accidentally swapped bodies?”

“That would be correct. He’s just acquired a devil’s fruit in the last day or so.”

“Hm. I suppose while you’re stuck here fixing what you broke, you can sort that out. You’re not contagious?”

“Shy of literally eating Law, you’ll be fine.”

“Good. I’m putting you two to work immediately after breakfast. Don’t dally.” Grumpy left them to it.

Corazon looked up at Law, expectant. The boy didn’t keep him waiting. “Wolf seems to be a nice guy. Fix what we broke, help out in his garden, around the house.”

“I see,” he hummed softly. Wolf wasn’t terribly far away, but, “what did you tell him, exactly?” He raised his hand, intending to make a calm bubble. Something appeared in Law’s palm for a flicker of a second. But they could still hear. His snap did nothing.

Law stared after the brief apparition. His lips twisted in focus, as he repeated the motion himself. His snap reverberated as the sounds of breakfast preparation faded out.

“Good work,” Corazon praised warmly. “So what did you tell him?”

“Ah, right, I just said we’d been looking for a doctor to treat me. Our boat broke, so we were looking for a town for a new one, since there isn’t a capable doctor here.” He summarized.

Corazon nodded. That was neat and simple, easy enough to remember. True, except for the gaping holes conveniently left out. This Wolf fellow didn’t need the nitty-gritty.

He helped Law release the calm bubble, and stood. The latter was a task. Even without the lingering cramps and pain, his body was still lethargic. Law needed help soon.

Law steadied him when he swayed. “Cora-san, are you ok?”

“I’m fine. I’m perfectly alright, no need to fuss.” He assured.

“...We should try and switch back.” Law stated in that frustrating tone that meant he didn’t believe him in the least. Damn impertinent kid.

“We should feed you before then. Some fruits use energy to use, especially in the paramecia class.” Last thing they needed was to kill Law in trying to heal him.

“Right after, then.” Law didn’t know enough about devil fruits to contest that, even if it didn’t sound right. Neither DonQuixote had ever showed strain just from the use of their powers. But he’d listen this time.

Wolf griped that they’d dallied, and Law was immediately roped into helping set the table for three. Cora-san had the unique challenge of sorting Law’s aching body into a chair. It would’ve been hard enough, but the tail added a whole new aspect to it. 

Aches and pains; was nothing easy and simple for his small charge?

“Cora-san,” Law set a plate before him with utmost care, “sit on your knees. It’s easier.” Without an open back to the chair, the comfortable ways to sit were limited. “I usually loop it to my right, since I reach with my left.” It took trying - Cora-san was not in control of the limb, even if Law’s body had the muscle memory - but he was reasonably settled in short order.

“I hope it isn’t a fucking production every time you sit your ass down,” Wolf commented dryly.

Before Cora-san could muster up a reply, Law retorted “not when we’re in our proper bodies, it isn’t.” He sat, looking very precarious on his seat. He was clearly uncertain where to put his miles of leg. “The drastic proportion change is 95% of the problem.”

“What-“

“Spare limb and chronic pain.”

“Ah.” Wolf set a deep pan in the center of the table, next to a pot of rice. “You little shits better eat the worst of my emergency harvest, since you forced me to do it before the frost got into my garden. Hope you like vegetables.

“When you’re done, get your asses into said garden, and start patching up the roof.”

“Thank you for the meal; we appreciate your effort and kindness.” Cora-san hoped he made up the grace Law tended to lack.

“Thanks, we’ll get on that.” Law made a small effort when he cared to. He then dragged the fried vegetable medley into reach, and sorted through them. Corazon blinked as his plate was carefully filled with only a small helping of the softest pieces. “Finish that, and if you can handle it, I’ll give you some rice.”

“You need to eat more than that.” Both of the older men protested.

“I’m used to forcing it, you’re not.” Law was having none of it. “This is the highest protein selection, and if need be, I’ll feed me again later.”

Corazon frowned at that. Law was having trouble eating? Since when? Granted, he didn’t feel very hungry through the pain, but still. This was an atrocity that was not allowed to stand. He found the exact reason for the lack of appetite but a moment later.

It hurt to swallow. A single bite felt like swallowing glass, even as soft as the vegetable was.

“I suspect that the inflammation to the esophagus has reached tier 2, and ulceration is imminent. I’ll probably starve to death once it becomes impossible to swallow even liquified nutrients, but hypothetically I could survive to see the esophagus completely separate from the trachea, at which point stomach acid would be free to dissolve any remaining organs within the chest cavity.” Law passed the pan to their host. “Projected life expectancy: 3-8 weeks.”

* * *

 Law was unenthused by the following chewing out, but he was put to work. He could put a table back together (kind of), and sweep up broken pots and dirt. But he fell off the ladder three times just trying to see how the new glass panes would fit in. Corazon just watched, grumpy and still trying to eat.

“I can’t figure out why your balance is so bad.” Law finally announced, picking himself off the floor again. “Give me my body back.”

Cora-san took a long time to respond. “I know why, but it’s not important.” He set his meal aside with a soft sigh. It quickly became a cough. 

“Cora-san, It is.” Law squatted before him. 

“Is it? Or is it unimportant, like telling me you felt this badly?” There was bite in his words, and he’d even managed to get Law’s pupils to narrow to slits for a brief moment. Law swallowed, immediately averting his eyes. “Well?”

“I just didn’t want to worry you any more than you were.” His reasons were perfectly valid. “We both know it’s fatal. Death is an inevitability, so I didn’t broach the subject.” 

“Three weeks is something to bring up, regardless.” 

Cora-san was right, of course. 

“I know,” Law finally relented. “I know... I’m sorry.”

“Brat,” Cora-san huffed. But he slid off his seat. Law looked up when his head was patted by a far too small hand. “Try and have some hope. This devil fruit’s going to change all that prognosis-making of yours.”

“I- yeah. Yeah, it will.” Right now they were just words, unproven. But he wanted to believe. “Give me back my body, Cora-san.”

“No.” Corazon had to deny him. “I want you on the road to recovery before I put you through this again.”

“Cora-san, as nice as the offer is, I don’t know how in hell you expect my body to heal if you can’t even feed it.” 

“... I’ve had just about enough of your sass.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trufaqz i know nothing about Wolf other than what the wiki tells me >.> also im abusing this fic to flex my pseudo science muscles


	3. Direct Action

Law was asleep. He slept lightly, as he always had, stirring at the slightest noise or tremor. Corazon sat beside him, very much not asleep. He should be. As his smart ass of a charge had said: if he couldn’t even take care of the body, there was no hope of recovery. 

He still didn’t want to return Law to this ailing body, but he would have to. The ope-ope was reliant on the user’s medical knowledge. Something he only had the bare basics of. Law had studied this religiously. The best he could do was- no.

Doctors were made, not born. It couldn’t be that hard. He could do this too, surely. It was a matter of trying. He could-

Ah, who was he kidding. He couldn’t. He wanted to protect Law, to heal him, to relieve the child of poison and responsibility alike. But even mediocre physicians were years in the making. Law had days. Which meant he had to do one job.

Return them to their natural bodies. 

Law stirred slightly when Corazon shifted. He remained asleep. Settling into a meditative position, he prepared to at least sound out the basic abilities of this fruit. He’d mastered one already, of the same class. Granted, the Nagi-Nagi was hardly the same league. That was fine. 

He needed time. An ache, a throb, an itch, he dug his fingers into the furred sock Law hid his tail in. He focused. Law’d had his fruit for bare minutes before he used it. It wouldn’t be hard, surely?

Or it could be a mass of label-less, shapeless tools in his mind’s eye. Skills he couldn’t begin to decipher. Techniques well outside his imagination. 

It wouldn’t be easy, because of course it wouldn’t. He huffed in frustration. 

Law stirred beside him, drawing his attention. His charge’s eyes were open, watching him neutrally. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?” 

“You should be sleeping.” Law murmured. “Does it hurt too much?”

“Nn- it’s distracting, but no. I was just thinking.” Corazon shook his head lightly. Law propped himself up on his elbow. “Don’t get up. Thinking can wait until tomorrow.” 

“Sure,” Law flopped back down. His sigh was deep and tired. But his hands were gentle as he drew Corazon into his chest. His guardian struggled to get comfortable, wiggling restlessly against pain and awkwardness. He gave him a reasonable window to try before intervening. 

Corazon blinked as he was scooped into a ball, still snuggled against the heat of another body. But he was glad Law knew how to help. Even if it confused him when Law slipped off his toque.

“Don’t try n’ do this to me,” Law warned. Corazon started to ask, only for his thoughts to come to a grinding halt as Law rested his chin between the hard outcrops of his horns. His mind went static. Warmth spread up their lengths, feeling - Law could feel through them?? They weren’t just bone????? - feeling every inch like a limb gone to sleep. 

Then, then like, he couldn’t even process a similarity, but something was feeling. Feeling, was a something. His brain couldn’t quite understand. But whatever that something was feeling, it wanted him to go the fuck to sleep. 

Law wanted him to sleep. Law wanted his body back. Law wanted to sleep. 

Law willed him into sleep. Law willed himself to sleep. Willed himself to eat, drink and LIVE. And he willed a return to normalcy. 

The Will of D was an incredible, powerful thing. 

Corazon had no chance against it. He was already asleep. 

He woke hours later, hungry, sore, disoriented and in dire need of a smoke. His fingers shook as he rifled through his cowl, and he was pretty sure he was clenching his teeth. It wasn’t until he was filling his lungs with tobacco that he noticed: there were no spots on his hands. 

There were no spots anywhere, and things didn’t look quite so big anymore. No hooked talons, or tanned skin, just simple, plain, His hands. Law was nowhere to be seen. 

He took to his feet. He took to the ground immediately thereafter. Right; bruised ribs and plus-sized proportions riddled with bullet holes. From his experience, he was healing well. All thanks to his tiny charge. 

Healing, which meant Law- Law-

“Law-!” He patted out his shoulder, scrambling from the room. Law was at the table, stuffing his face under the direct supervision of Wolf. Corazon felt his own throat clench as Law swallowed like it was nothing. 

“Cora-san,” he greeted. A little smug. There was a rosiness to his cheeks. Feverish, probably.

“Law,” his relief was palpable. 


	4. The Heart of the Heart of the Soul

When Wolf went off to tinker with one of the machines he was building, Corazon was able to ask, “so what was that?”

“Hm?” Law looked up, confused. “Oh, if my caloric intake drops too low, I won’t be able to continue fighting. I’m forcing myself to eat despite the inflammation.” Unlike Corazon, he knew his body’s physical limit. He’d stop when he met it. 

“Not- I meant more your sleeping trick.”

“Oh, that,” Law made a face. “It’s... it’s a ‘half-mink’ thing.” Corazon had figured that much. “It was never really explained to me. I just kind of play it by ear, and what works, works. So just... don’t try it.”

That wasn’t the whole truth, by the way he glanced after Wolf. Corazon let it be.

* * *

“So what’s the kid’s official diagnosis?” Wolf asked as Law glued a flowerpot back together. It was an easy task for his little hands.

“He’s been poisoned; there was a mine near his ancestral home that started spewing out garbage a few generations back. Poisons you a little more every day, just enough to kill ya in 70 years or so.” Corazon took a long drag from his cigarette.

“He’s a far cry from 70.” 

“Mm, that’s the kicker. His Ma gave hers to him, as her Ma had given it to her, and so on. He didn’t start at zero.”

“The rest of the family’s passed then, I take it?”

“Unfortunately so.” Corazon flicked his cigarette, watching his charge quietly. He seemed better today. Warm and fed enough, at the very least. “The last of his line, and we’ve had no luck tracking down a doctor who can help. 

“Pity.” Wolf considered his pipe quietly a second. 

“If I die, don’t put me in the earth.” Law could hear them well enough. “It may leach the poison into the soil. It’s safest to set my remains adrift, and light them ablaze from as great a distance as you can manage.” He set one assembled pot on an empty table, and set into the next. “I imagine the fumes won’t be very healthy either.”

“Now don’t talk like that, young man. You’re just a kid. Try and be positive or some shit.”

Law chuckled lightly at that. He smiled when he looked back at them, serene. “It’s just Death. We all face it. I’m not scared of it, and I’ll go when it’s time to go.” 

“Law-“ Corazon protested, but Wolf just huffed. 

“Well, make sure you finish fixing things first.”

“Of course.” 

“Laaw-!” Corazon complained louder. Law’s smile turned bittersweet at his reprimanding. 

“Cora-san, we’ve talked about this,” He sighed. 

“Doesn’t mean I have to like or approve of it.” Corazon huffed. He stood, putting out his cigarette and his shoulder. Law squawked as he was scruffed, and carted off. 

They were found later, holed up in the windless alley between greenhouse and ridge. Corazon hated to interrupt his rest, but Law also had to learn this, to heal. To master the ope-ope. 

Currently, he could call up a tiny, fist-sized bubble. A ‘Room’, as he called it.

“How do you make a calm bubble?” Law asked. His Room fizzled out as he dropped his hand. “Like, a big one, not your item-only ones.” 

“... I imagine a snow-globe. A glass orb, all around, containing the sound like the water in a snow-globe. When I snap,” he did, and the world fell quiet, “it lowers. Seals us in.” 

“That sounds really dumb.” Law frowned. Corazon huffed.

“If it works it works,” he tweaked Law’s ear reproachfully. “I want to see a full bubble before we go in.”

“Room,” Law argued, starting again. Corazon stuck out his tongue, impudent as his child. Law retaliated in kind. They were both children. 

It took a few more minutes of squabbling before anything productive occurred. 

Corazon could wrestle him into the snow easy as thinking, but still made a show of doing it. Law shrieked at him the entire time, beating at his arms with indignant fury. Then came the tickling. Which was nothing short of unfair. 

Corazon wasn’t playing fair, though. Law needed to laugh more. So Law would laugh more. All his training as an older brother meant nothing in the shadow of the giant who had him. 

Or at least, until he slammed his palm into Corazon’s chest, causing him to straighten, and fall back into the snow. 

“Jerk-!” He crawled his way out of reach, giggles still crowding his lungs. “That was cheap,” he coughed, “targeting a young, defenceless child!” 

Corazon had no immediate response.

“Playing dead wont save you this time!” Law picked up as much snow as he could, and emptied it on the fallen. He had Cora-san half buried in snow by the time he noticed. 

There was a big, square hole in Corazon’s chest, and the man was slowly turning blue from cold.

* * *

 His heart was missing, but he still had a pulse. Law was scrambling to cover Corazon in every thick blanket Wolf owned, but the man refused to start warming up. Hypothermia began to set in astoundingly fast; it was warm enough inside that all the snow, dragged in from lugging him into the cabin, was well melted. 

Another devil fruit mishap. The kid really was something.

Grabbing the high-strung kid, however, was a mistake. The boy would be stitching him up later when his guardian was less critical. Ignoring the claws in his arms, “if his heart isn’t in him, where is it?”

Law blinked at that. 

“Did you absorb it since you didn’t switch it? Or is it just laying out in the snow somewhere?” Wolf continued. 

“It-“ the boy released him. He released the boy in kind a half-second later. Law hastily wiped his bloody claws off on his pant leg, then checked his pulse. Single beat. No stronger than usual. A little fast, but whatever. 

The snow was undisturbed by other creatures or precipitation. Law hurried through the footprints Wolf had left carrying Corazon, looking about wildly. Wolf stayed back, close enough to hear Corazon should he call out. He helpfully held the lantern aloft to fight back the growing night. 

It was good he did, as Corazon suddenly yelled, and sat up starply. Gripping his holed chest. Pale and gasping with pain. 

Wolf was no doctor. Thankfully, the crunching of the child racing through snow was on the approach.

“Found it! Stepped on it, but I found it!” Law tracked snow in. Corazon looked up, confused and breathless. 

Law held a glassy cube, inside of which was a heart far too large for the common man. It could only be Corazon’s, beating fast in response to the abuse. It was rather grotesque to the adults. Law was just glad it hadn’t been damaged. It could so easily have been hurt. There was nothing to protect it. 

Corazon did not like it so exposed either. Being trodden upon was extremely painful. He dragged himself from the mass of blankets, only for Law to meet him at the edge. 

He shoved the organ into Corazon’s chest-hole. The flesh immediately fused with the glassy texture, turning it opaque. Corazon unhelpfully flopped over him in relief. Law had to resist pushing him away, lest he pop more organs out like a living version of his father’s teaching tools. 

Corazon was asleep before he could be coaxed off Law. Law didn’t protest too much, it  was his fault this time. It also meant he could take a bit of a nap himself. 

When Law woke again, the other two were both asleep. Wolf in the next room, by his snores. 

Corazon made a face as Law pulled free, but stayed asleep. Law sighed softly, reaching out. His pulse was calm and steady. He was fine. He wasn’t suffering for his heartless period. He’d been worried. 

His palm glowed blue as he raised it, spinning a Room into existence. He stared at the glowing dome pensively, before pressing it to his own chest. He didn’t need much space to pop out his own heart. 

It was small, but heavy in his palm. In its tiny, blue room. It felt disjointed to watch it beat and work without attachment. 

There was a fat, white streak trailing down one of the arteries. The lead was so close to broaching the very core of his being. Law scratched at the vein of lead, considering. He probably had less time than he thought. Or, at least so he thought before the disease began to peel away from its bed. 

The fatty, white layer peeled completely off a moment later. He felt his blood pressure drop to normal, and his heart settled somewhat closer to the 120 over 80 he required. His chest unknotted. It was a little easier to exist. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope he washes him hand after handling a big ol’ chonk of amber lead
> 
> Also, baby paramecia are messes.


	5. Bear-ter bearlieve it

Corazon steadied Law, holding him aloft. It was precarious, as they were atop the ladder, and less than ideal, but Law had something to try. Fur looped about his neck as Law stabilized himself with his tail. Probably the worst anchor point, but unfortunately the only one. Corazon was not getting the last pane of glass into place. Not by himself. 

“That should do it.” Law finally announced, dusting off his hands. The hole was filled in with a thin piece of plywood. Light, durable, and similarly sized to the pane of glass Wolf held down on the ground. Law grinned. 

“Glass still isn’t in, brat.” 

“Hold your horses, old man,” Law scrambled down Corazon before they both fell. Corazon managed to reach the floor as well before stumbling over his feet. “I want to try this out.” 

“Whatever you’re trying, this is my last pane of glass. Break it, and I’ll patch the window up myself,” and just to be clear, “with the hide I tan off ya.”

“Sure you will,” Law had little faith in the old man’s threat. 

Raising his hands, he brought a Room into existence.It was a struggle to get the room big enough to include the window. Should’ve started this on the ladder. Oh well. He could do it, it just made him sweat. The pane was also larger than anything he’d tried. 

He wasn’t lifting it, though. Lifting rocks and organs was harder than swapping them out one to one. He could do this. He would do this, and be stronger for it. 

And he did. A light popping noise, and the sound of Wolf stumbling as weights changed, and no resounding crash. Glass stayed up, and unshattered. 

“Yes-!” He grinned, dropping the Room. He stumbled, but Cora-san caught him. There was nothing but glowing pride on his face. If only the lead was so easy to swap out. Cora-san would probably explode from how idiotically happy he’d get. 

It would be nice to see him so pleased. 

“That’s a pretty cool trick you’ve got,” Wolf grinned. They were both pleased idiots. What dorks. 

“Thanks,” he dusted himself off as he was set on his feet. “Gimme the caulk, I’ll seal it up while you geezers prattle.”

“No, no,” Wolf waved him off. “You’ve done the hard job, I can manage this. Go take 10.” 

“If you insist.” Law shrugged. It was probably for the best, as his fingers were shaking from the exertion. The ope-ope was such a drain to use. At least for large applications, while he still had a lethal amount of lead in his system. He’d have to experiment once he had a nap (and maybe a snack). 

Wolf watched the boy walk off. A tough little tyke, without question. “I’d rather make you do it, lad, but I don’t trust you to not split your head open doing so.”

“Rude,” Corazon could hardly deny the possibility even so. 

“Can you handle a rifle? The day’s young, so the traps could stand to be checked. Earn your keep with fresh meat, instead.”

“... I’m familiar with them.” 

“In the closet by the door. Just follow the tree line, and you won’t get lost. Hit the town, and you’ve gone too far.” 

“Can do.” Corazon swept away, leaving a couple singed black feathers in his wake. Law was in the kitchen as he passed, shoving rice into his mouth as fast as he could swallow. His powers  were the draining sort. He’d guessed as much. Healing ones usually were. 

“I’ve been sent hunting.” He stated as he lifted the old rifle from the cabinet. He looked it over a moment before deciding his own weapons were more comfortable to use. “Did you want to join me?”

“I was going to read, but sure. Give me a second.” he downed his snack and a few healthy chugs of water. His throat still protested. He’d do well to address that inflammation next. Spleen, then maybe try and parse through his liver again. 

“You don’t have to, if you want to rest,” Corazon smiled softly. 

“I’d like to survey the area,” Law emptied his dishes into the sink for later attention. Once he was ready to brave the cold, they set out into the sunlit snow. Wolf knew these lands well enough to make a quick escape. They, however, would be screwed. 

There was something of a path half covered by fresh snow. The forest was loud with birds. Hares bounded out of the way when they got too close, and occasionally Law could spot larger animals taking advantage of the sunny weather.

Not ample shelter should Doffy, or the marines, locate them.They’d need miles of head start to evade them, and even then, human tracks would stand out in this wilderness. 

“... Law?” Corazon squinted out over the other side of the forest, which drifted down the island and into the sea. Glossy ice covered a large section of the water. 

“What?” He saw nothing of concern. 

“That’s Minion Island over there.” He could almost make out the manse atop the hill. A charcoal-black smear on that ridge. 

“... unlikely. I didn’t get in a boat.” 

Corazon’s response was to pull out a telescope. Sure enough, Minion Island was across from them. Law frowned, and clambered up him like a ladder. Corazon made no comment as his telescope was pulled from his grip. 

“We must have survived an ice crossing with sheer dumb luck.” Ice bridges were a phenomena he’d only heard of in passing. Rumours, from the furthest North Blue, from only on the coldest winter islands. “And walked past Wolf, away from the nearest township.”

“Makes sense,” he pulled the telescope back, scouring the shoreline. No boats - pirate, marine or otherwise - were landed. His dinghy was gone as well. Luckily he kept most of his supplies in his coat. 

Law suddenly bolted upright on his shoulder, eyes slitting as he stared into the deepest part of the woods. 

“Law?” 

“Bear,” he pointed. It was a small one, and it vanished the second before Corazon looked. White pelts were rare further south, but optimal in such a snowy world. 

“Keep an eye out then,” Corazon accepted that. Hibernation was surely different when it was always winter. “Explains why theres nothing in these traps.” He kicked one as they began to walk again. It snapped him right off his feet, into the snowbank. 

Law huffed, even as laughter bubbled into a wry smile. Of course. Bested by a rabbit snare. Dumb Cora-san. Worth getting thrown off for. 

Corazon sighed a long-suffering sigh, and sat up to disentangle his foot, and return the trap to its primed position. He gave up on it after a few minutes. 

“What’s so funny, you brat?” 

“You’re dumb.” Law chuckled. 

“You wound me,” Corazon was over-dramatically indignant, “so rude. Such a terrible, awful, ungrateful child I have.” He pulled out a hunting knife, and cut himself free. “Just the worst.” That did make Law laugh. 

It was cut short by a resounding crash. A small, white bear - wearing pale coveralls - burst out of the tree-line at a run. It didn’t stop, fleeing at top speed. The crashing continued until a massive, crazed beast exploded out after it. 

It had antlers as wide as Corazon’s shoulders, giant hooves larger than Law’s face, and was more than two times taller than the bear it chased. And it would be atop all three of them if they didn’t move. 

Law wanted nothing to do with this thing. But then a hand grabbed his shirt. Corazon made a beeline for the mad beast and its prey. Law reflexively sank his claws into the bear when he hit the thing at throwing speed. Between momentum and his weight, the youths were bowled into the far bank. Leaving Corazon to the mad beast’s path. 

He was okay. His palms stung as the antlers met him, and his ribs made a token protest as he twisted. But Sengoku had taught him hand-to-hand for a reason. The creature slammed into the frozen ground hard enough to make the trees shake. 

It didn’t get up again. 

“Well,” Corazon huffed, dusting off his hands. He cracked his back, and turned to find the children. 

Law had the bear in a death-grip still. The bear itself was crying. Sobbing, babbling apologies amid hiccups. 

“You- you saved me-“ was the most cohesive thing the bear said. “You saved my life-! Thank you-! I’m indebted! I’m sorry-!” 

Law grunted as he was hugged tightly. Corazon looked up again once he was done unloading his pistol into the beast, for insurances’ sake. His brow was creased in concern. A Mink? An actual Mink, out here in the North Blue?

Was there a trading group in the area? The little one wore no signs of enslavement, so he was likely here of his own will. Questions, questions. “Are you two alright? Did the moose get you, little bear?” The most important ones first. 

“Yeah, no thanks to you. I could’ve climbed a tree. Didn’t have to throw me.” Law complained. The fuzzy cheek rubbing against his own was nice, in an irritating, unwanted sort of way. “Stop that.” 

“I am fine, thank you as well, Sir.” The bear bowed, without releasing Law in the least. “Thank you.” 

“Good,” Corazon really didn’t need to be explaining an injured cub to their furious guardian. “Sorry, Law; I wasn’t sure I could reach him in time, to get him out of the way, and not get mauled immediately thereafter. I won’t make it a habit.” He paused, “anymore of a habit than it already is.”

“I  will stab you again.” Law huffed. “Can you- Bear-guy, stop it.” The face rubbing was still going. “Let go of me.”

“Sorry, Captain, thank you, Captain,” the bear had to be peeled off Law. “Thank you.” 

“I’m not your captain.” Law straightened his hat first, then dusted himself off. “Go away.” 

“I cannot, You’ve saved my life, I’m indebted.” he bowed again. “My name’s Bepo, Mink tribe of Zou. Thank you.” 

“Fine! Fine.” Law groaned. He was going to have to take full advantage of this to get around the inconvenience of a tagalong. “Fine, but you have to do everything I say.”

“Yes Captain-!” 

“Not to interrupt, but won’t your parents worry?” Corazon interrupted. “We should get you back into town, to your ship.” 

“I’m sorry, I don’t have one anymore.” Corazon got a full bow now. “I’m here by myself, looking for my big brother, Zepo. I’m very off course, though, I think. I’m not sure where in the Grand Line I am. So there’s no need to worry.”

“North Blue,” Law could provide that. “You’re in the North Blue. You are so fucking lost.”

“Ah,” Bepo took that as well as one could. “Sorry.” 

Corazon swallowed. Well. Suppose that meant he was theirs now. 


	6. Storm Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap has some medical doctoring of injured persons, just head up!
> 
> Also special thanks to @Harmonica_Smile for linking me to the english version of Law’s story!

They couldn’t keep imposing on poor old Wolf. He took little Bepo’s arrival well enough, especially in the face of so much fresh meat. But it wasn’t hard to read his irritation. 

Plus there was the looming threat of Doffy. His elder brother would eventually figure out that he’d been had. That there was no more contact and no more fruit. When no more reports of burning hospitals reached him, well, he’d know, and start at ground zero in the search for them. Doflamingo’s fury left no survivors in its wake. 

Then there were the marines. They’d more than likely assume the Barrel Pirates duped them. But eventually the truth would come out. He’d miss a call, miss an update, and Sengoku would know. They’d start their search in the same place.

They were barely an island away. They had to move. 

He put out his cigarette, and cast a long look over the seas. There was a storm brewing on the horizon. Too alike the dangers he worried over. 

Wolf was explaining his latest invention to an incredibly disinterested Law and an awed Bepo. It honestly looked like junk. Even if it could predict the weather for the next half hour. 

“What’re you reading?” Corazon asked Law, settling beside him. 

“Map of human organs. Some of them are responsible for cleaning toxins out of the human body, so will have a higher concentration of lead. I’d rather not slice open an artery when I cut in to extract the lead.” Law tapped the oblong diagram. It was labelled ‘liver’ in spiky handwriting.

“You have to cut in? You can’t just pop it out?” Law shook his head. 

“Leaves big pockets in my body because there’s so much of it. Would do more harm than good.” He glanced at the other two, “hypothetically, I could swap it out directly if I had fresh cell tissue available. But I’d need a lot, and specialized cells can’t be swapped with other cells. Basically I’d need a hot corpse. That has the same cell markers and blood type as I. And even then I might reject the cells and get sicker, this time with gangrene.

“Which is basically rotting alive from the inside.” 

“I know-“ he was too late, “I know what gangrene is. We’re going to avoid that.”

“There’s a shortage of corpses anyways.” Law shrugged. “Either way, too risky. Cutting in is the safest manner.” 

“Well, just don’t hurt yourself.” Law scoffed at that, but at least he knew Corazon cared. 

“If you help me pull some stuff into town, I could probably introduce you to the doctor on this side of the island.” Wolf offered, “he’s a little better than the other guy.”

“Nn,” Law grimaced outright at that. “I’d rather not. Good or no, they all tend to be assholes about the poisoning. Refuse to even try. Tell me to give up because it’s incurable.”

“Suit yourself,” Wolf shrugged. “Corazon, what was the forecast out there? Sunny? Almost warm?”

“There’s a wind picking up, and a storm brewing on the horizon. I’d estimate snow in the next hour.” He had his eyes on Law, but he didn’t miss the frown of disappointment. 

“What direction?”

“South-southwest. Off the open sea.” 

“Off the-“ Wolf stood, invention forgotten as he left the building. Corazon followed. He doubted he’d have to point it out, but even so. “Now where....” 

The storm was building quicker, now, filling the space with rolling omens. 

“Hmph, that little thing’ll drop a few snowflakes, then vanish. It’ll wear itself out by shorefall.” Corazon wasn’t so sure. “Good ya told me, though, brat. It’s the right season for freezing rain. Which is a pain, at best.” 

“Hence the concern,” that got him a nod. 

Crunching their way back to the warmth of the cabin, Corazon paused. Amid the sound of winter and ocean (and several running inventions), there were heated voices escaping the trees. Yelling. Fear. 

“Do you hear that?” He asked. 

“Hm? Oh, that just sounds like those damn thieving brats. They live in the woods, steal hard-working people’s produce and coin. Empty traps and don’t reset them,”Wolf waved the voices away as unimportant. “The town’s working on dealing with them, don’t you worry yourself any.” 

“If you’re sure-“ Corazon was ready to take his word on the local nuisance, when he was interrupted by the very distinct sound of a grenade’s detonation. He straightened immediately, gun in hand faster than he could find the telltale plume of smoke. 

Wolf reappeared beside him, his rifle ready. “What’ve those two done now?” Law had a knife and Bepo. He fully expected the worst. 

“Law, grab the first aid kit,” Corazon instructed. “Just in case.” 

As far as explosion sites went, the environment was fine. Some fire damage to a little shelter, and a wild hog lingering at the edges of the clearing. It seemed to be considering the corpses and pieces, even if it hadn’t moved in yet. 

“Kid, don’t-“ Wolf was not fast enough to stop Law. Corazon simply followed the boy. He’d seen worse, certainly. His concern was how small these thieves were. Not much older than Law, by their size. Just children, fallen down a dark path. 

“They’re alive,” Law pronounced. “Barely, but they are. I need to operate if they have any hope of surviving.” He twisted and folded bandage until he had a tourniquet capable of stemming the blown off arm. “Bepo, pack snow onto the stump and the loose arm, I want as little cell degradation as possible.”

Law barely acknowledged the ‘aye captain-!’, instead rolling the other kid onto his back. He was in worse shape than his brother, even if he had escaped the explosion damage. The hog had gored him, and if not for the cold and snow, he’d be gone already. 

“Cora-san, lift this guy so that his hips and thighs are higher than his heart.” Unquestioning assistants were the best. He clambered up Corazon so that he could apply direct pressure to the wound. “Wolf, what’s the closer option; Town or your cabin. I can’t properly stabilize these idiots out here.”

“The- my cabin. But I don’t have blood there. They need blood.” 

“They’ve lost a lot, yes, but we can start the intravenous once they’re not losing any more.” Law would gamble just a little. “Why aren’t we moving yet?! Bepo, bring the other guy, all of him! Keep the wound elevated!”

He was fully prepared to start hitting people. But they listened. They were moving, and by some miracle Corazon stayed upright. 

Barking more commands as they entered the cabin, Law got an area cleared for him, and water set to boil. Thread was put in his hand at a word. The nicked artery was starting to clot, finally. It would be delicate for hours, but it was going to be fine. 

Pressure bandages replaced his hands, and a pillow was sacrificed to holding the site higher than the guy’s heart. 

“If he wakes, no moving-!” He ripped the blood typing kit from the box, and tore it open. There was no need to bleed the boys. They were covered in it. And they were, thankfully the same type. 

“Wolf, I need 4 bags of X type blood. As fast as you can.” 

“Not happening, kid.” That stopped Law in his healing rampage. Wolf was standing at the window, looking out. From what little Law could see, the clear skies had gone a murky slate, and were dropping fat, white clumps of snow, thicker and faster for every moment watched. But then, Wolf rolled up his sleeves. “I’m the same type, though. Use mine.”

“You’re too old; the amount of blood they need would kill you.” Even 2 pints was too much. Far too much, for an old geezer. 

“Excuse you, I have the strength and vitality of a 20 year old! Get it done before I have corpses in my house instead of just injured.”

“Fine, if you want to die.” Law wouldn’t let him die. 

Only once his patients were no longer actively dying, he could focus on the secondary concern. An arm often meant a man’s life. Sure these guys were just kids, but 2 hands were better than one. 

He stole the microscope from the workroom while Wolf couldn’t do anything about it. If he was very skilled, and very accurate, if he could line up each nerve up to its other half precisely, there was a definite possibility he could save the arm. 

So he got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... well if he fails, he has two hot corpses? xD


	7. Brevity is the soul of wit, but your titles have to be at least 3 characters long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some characters have names, others do not. I’ve applied some in blanks bc reasons :)

“You’re the doctor of the town, correct?” Law marched through the door with no pretence. The man in a doctor’s coat looked down at him, startled. But after a moment’s processing, he nodded.

“I am; are you alright kid? Do you need help?”

“Doctor Trafalgar; I need three bags of X-type blood and this refilled, since I’m surrounded by idiots.” Law set his very depleted first-aid kit on the front desk. “Also a text on physical rehabilitation.” 

“A doctor, at your age?” There was a smile on his face, now, as he crouched down. “That’s pretty amazing.”

“Did you hear me or no?” 

“I did, but It’s hard to believe a rude little boy has any sort of credentials.” The doctor cocked his head lightly. “The Physician’s Guild doesn’t hand out many licenses to 8 year olds.” 

“I’m 13, thank you,” Law growled. “The blood, if you please.”

“Mm, I’m going to hazard no. Where’re your parents?” Ah, the tone of an adult about done with a child’s antics. He’d never missed that tone. 

“Ah, so you  want my patients to die. Lovely.” He pulled his knife. That got some consideration and alarm. “Let’s try that again, Shall we? Dr Trafalgar, needs supplies and the blood.” 

“P-put down the knife, kid. Your game’s gone far enough.” He didn’t like it at all when Law advanced a step. 

 Their standoff was abruptly ruined by a thud, crash, and Corazon ducking properly into the office. His nose was bloody, but the boys in his arms were undropped. 

 “There you are, Law. Making a good first impression?” Then he paused, finally processing the mood. “Is this guy giving you problems?” 

 Law expected fear, as Corazon’s pistol appeared, but the doctor of the town had no interest in them anymore. He’d taken one look at the boys in Corazon’s arms, at how pallid they were, and bolted. He returned quickly, with blood, IV rigs and hooks, and an assortment of other equipment. 

 “Put the knife and gun away,” the doctor body-checked the curtained area open. “Put them down here. What happened? Who hurt them?” 

 “Shachi suffered a 12 inch laceration to the groin, his femoral artery was breached, and he lost about 2 pints of blood. I’ve started him on a preventative round of wide-scope antibiotics, since I couldn’t find a listing of local hog bacteriology.  

“Penguin is on similar antibiotics,” he continued on, taking care of Penguin’s IV personally. The doctor was preoccupied with Shachi. “Concussive blast that caused complete unilateral brachiotomy of the right arm, midway through the humerus. While there is some evidence of mild nerve damage, the repair seems to be healing well. I would expect a full recovery.” Law adjusted the blood flow carefully. “If it weren’t for me, these kids would be dead.”

Penguin, who’d lost debatably less blood than his brother, cracked his eyes open to smile weakly. “Hi Doc.” 

He slowly, painstakingly, and with great discomfort, raised an arm that was supposed to be dead. His fingers were hardly coordinated, but he could, with some trying, make his fingertips touch, starting with the forefinger and thumb.  

“Between blood-loss, painkillers and antibiotics, they’re not super aware.” Law reported that as well. “Now, when I say I’m a doctor?”

“I... I apologize, Dr. Trafalgar. I’ve underestimated you.” The doctor still double-checked Law’s work. It didn’t seem to be out of any kind of malice, but it still made Law scowl. “We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot, clearly. I’m Dr. Water. Water Zima,” he offered his hand. Law considered, then took it. He also considered sinking his claws into the rude man, but that was a level of petty he would reserve for now. Zima felt their sharpness, but as a warning.

Corazon beamed in the background, glad the mess had cleared up.  

* * *

 Bepo was not having so great a time. Wolf had point blank refused to let Corazon carry him as well. The old man had only one sled, and refused to move the inventions stacked precariously atop it. Nor would he let Bepo try and help. So they walked, following Corazon’s deep tracks, into town. It was a long, slow slog, as Wolf was still short of blood himself.

But then, instead of following Corazon into the doctor’s care, the old man walked into thetown. He walked into town like he was there to have a calm day, chatting with the townsfolk, comparing the prices of the town market, even wandering up to the town mayor for words. Not a single one commented on Wolf’s new bear companion. 

Bepo’s little ears and eyes were kept busy, though. It wasn’t as though the villagers were lax, unafraid of threat. Rather, they were hyper-vigilant, and Bepo just wasn’t a big enough danger to appear on their radars. Which made Bepo twice as wary as normal.

Wolf patted his little paw when he noticed. “Relax little bear, it’s a nice day out.” 

“Aye Sir,” Bepo didn’t calm down in the slightest. It was good that he didn’t, as shortly after, all the adults went from vigilant to keenly aware. Their predator had arrived, covered in rich, gem encrusted gold. 

“Ah, there we go. I’ve got a job for you, little bear.” Wolf crooked him closer. “Tell our brats to make themselves scarce. You saw where they turned in?”

“Aye, you’ll be okay?” 

“Don’t question me, brat.” Bepo darted away with an apology before his reprimanding thump could land. 

The mayor beside him chortled, “new helpers?” 

“Hmph, hardly. The three break almost more things than they’re worth, but I can use the extra hands in return. Don’t be surprised if I offload the less competent ones on you come spring.” 

The mayor scoffed in amusement. Any further response was interrupted by a greased, entitled voice. 

“That was a hell of a storm this week, wasn’t it Redd, Wolf?” 

“Haven’t seen your nephews, brat, carry on.” Wolf huffed. 

“We’ll let you know as soon as we track them down,” Redd added with a pinch more kindness, “they can’t have gone far.”

“I’m just asking, old coot,” his offence was masked with an attempt at lightheartedness. “I just heard some loud explosions just as the storm rolled in.”  

“Hmph,” Wolf added nothing. 

“The trials of an inventor,” Redd smiled politely, “Every person on the island has a vested interest in the children; if they’re in trouble, they’ll be found and cared for. They’ll turn up soon.”

“Hmm,” richly rich-pants scowled, taking no relief from the reassurance. “I will check with Dr. Zima even so.”

No one moved to stop him. 

* * *

Bepo arrived at Law’s side with all due speed. “Captain-!”

“Bepo. Where’s Wolf; he needs a transfusion too.” Law looked up from the reference he was perusing. “Did he collapse?” 

“Mr Wolf is fine, but he wants you to know there’s a Golden Predator-human coming, and that you should all leave quickly.” 

“Golden-?” Law frowned. 

“Predator?” Corazon questioned.  

“... Uncle,” Penguin hiccuped. It quickly became a distressed, medicated sobbing.Shachi quickly picked up on that. 

“Gettin’ th’necklace, Uncle- gettin it-“ Shachi sounded more like he was begging. “Don- Leave Penguin ‘lone-!”  

Corazon felt his blood freeze. Children begging for mercy was not something he enjoyed hearing. 

“That’s all I need to hear; move them into the side room, quickly now.” Zimaunlocked the wheels, and pushed the closest boy in the right direction. “Hide them, keep them quiet.” 

Law was set to help, but was instead grabbed up by the older doctor. “Apologies, Dr Trafalgar,” as he was set on the end of a fresh bed, and corresponding curtains were tugged closed. Corazon returned for Law once Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were safely stowed away. There was concern etched in his brow as the clinic door opened. 

Rich entered with grandeur and expectation, but there was nothing to be seen but a worried father overseeing his kid’s appointment. A worried father, whom was tall enough to look over the curtains when he entered.  

“So let’s see,” Zima referred to a clipboard that held some previous patient’s numbers. “Looks like you’re completely clean. All the blood tests came back negative. Congratulations!”

Law frowned for a long, quiet minute. Then it lightened, as he realized he was supposed to play along. “I- I’m going to be okay?” Disbelief wasn’t that hard to drag up, “but- the last doctor-“

“Is human, and people make mistakes. But You’re going to be okay. In a few weeks, you’ll be completely over this, and you’ll feel better than ever. You won’t even remember being sick.”

“Told you the last guy was a quack,” Corazon relaxed his concern slowly, naturally. “Glad we tried again now, bud?”

“... Yeah.” Law stared at his fingers. “Yeah.” The lead wasn’t so close to gone, but soon. One day. In the foreseeable future. He  was going to have that feeling of bliss, of never, ever having to worry about the lead again. 

He was going to relish that day when it came. 

“Doctor,” Rich was done waiting. “My nephews?”

“Hm? Oh, just a second,” Zima told Law with a smile, “I’ll be right back.”

Corazon watched from above as the town doctor greeted the rich uncle with politeness and nothing more. Assured him that, while the doctor hadn’t seen the children, he would be notified as soon as they showed up. 

They’d almost gotten the prat to leave, unaware that he’d been duped, when things went to hell. As they always tended to.

”Pirates-! Pirates on the shoreline! Take shelter!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zima - Winter, in Russian (Volff, one of the anglicizations of Wolf’s name, sounds more slavic)  
> Rich - is he a Richard or a Filthy Rich?? We just dont know  
> Head-canon tiem: Water is a super common surname in the OP world. At least at a civilian level xD


	8. How fast does an unladen swallow fly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have stared at this chonky chapter too long : uncut/unedited until i can look at it clearly :x

They were on the open sea, under a heavy moon. The sail was down, but they were moving with the current more than the wind. Corazon fumbled a cigarette into his mouth, breathing deep as he lit it. Nicotine hit his bloodstream moments later, steadying his shaking fingers. 

He could then pat out his coat, the burn of singed feathers grounding him. The smell of brine mixed with his cigarette. The silent oceans swayed the boat, rocking his racing mind and heart to peace. The winking stars promised to watch over their progress, should he need to rest his eyes, but the children were all asleep. He wouldn’t wake any of them just yet, least of all for a watch. 

It had been a hell-ride to get to this peace. 

He had recognized the flag the moment he saw it. Ah, the Diez Barrel Pirates, back for their 5 billion beli fruit. No matter what had happened to it. 

Rich had darted off to ensure the safety of his wealth, certainly. Men like him went after that before family. The doctor ran to secure his patients, but Law tried to run out the door with Corazon.

“What are you doing? Stay here, help this guy with your patients. I can handle these bozos.” Corazon grabbed him. He was still too tiny, too sick to consider a fight.

“They nearly killed you last time,” Law snapped right back. “Your clumsy ass isn’t going in alone.”

“No, not until you’re more healed.” 

“I’m fine.” He scowled at him, wrestling away with little success. 

“No,” Corazon tossed him back into the office, shutting the door between them. He ignored the threats of stabbing as he headed for the shore. 

The town was fleeing and hiding with the precision of a town regularly plagued by pirates. They knew what to do. Good.

A town named Pleasure Town, god. They probably got a lot of people coming for a red-light district, or at least gambling and drinking. He doubted they had a brothel, or even a bar large enough for more than just the locals. 

The large vessel in the bay was moderately intimidating. His count of 30+ pirates from last time could easily raise to 50, should space be used efficiently. Some of those number were probably non-fighters in that case, though. Cooks and doctors, and cabin boys proficient with chores and no more. 

Even as he approached the shore, easy and relaxed, a solid 2 dozen followed their captain onto dry land. He flicked his cigarette calmly. 

“Captain, that’s him!” A familiar face. One of those who’d shot him. He’d survived. 

“The bastard who took it? Well.” Knuckles cracked threateningly. “We’ve come to take the Ope-Ope back. We won’t be taking no for an answer, since there’s 5 billion riding on it.”

“What if I don’t have it anymore? Maybe I sold it. Or ate it.” He crossed his arms. There were a few grenades in his coat yet, and several dynamite. They went silent under his fingertips. 

“I doubt both those things.” Diez Barrels stopped shy a dozen feet away. His men immediately circled Corazon. 24 muskets, about half with bayonets. And two swords.“I actually have a feeling that you have a devil fruit already. So turn it over, and we might leave  you alive.”

There were several ways this could go. One depended on him not tripping for at least ten minutes. It was pretty icy, though. Another depended too much on a dinghy being both available, and him not tipping himself into the blue. A third needed more prep time than he had, and at least three more colours of paint than he had on him. 

Leaving two. Immediately eat dirt, roll his ass under the weapons, and deposit a live grenade at Barrels’ feet. Or, Bluff like his life depended on it. He was pretty good at that, no agility required. 

“I see you calculating; no funny business.”

Corazon sighed, and took a long drag of his cigarette. “Fine; truth is it’s not in my hands anymore. Doflamingo took it. Needs it for himself.”

“Doflamingo? The Northern Scourge?” Barrels scoffed. 

“The Surgery of Perennial Youth, only from the Ope-Ope no Mi. He’s gone to find a doctor worthy of it, while I heal from the gunshots you all dealt me. He should return soon; they’re barely even scars anymore.” He ignored the man’s disbelief. “He will be very displeased you’ve bothered his little brother again. He’s always been so adamant no one harms a hair on my head.” 

Barrels did not move, nor was he moved. But his men were a different stock. They heard him. The little brother of a very influential pirate? He had some fear to work on now. 

“We can wait for him to return, if you’d prefer.” He took another drag on his cigarette. Nearly gone. Nearly time. 

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Men, kill him and search the body. It’ll be with him or nearby.” Barrels commanded. His cold tone was enough to make Corazon roll his eyes. His cigarette suffered one last drag while the men about him hesitated.

The man next to him screamed as he was nailed in the eye with a burning cigarette butt. The sound spooked the men into shooting - one another. Corazon had already dropped down under their aim, and ducked out of there using the opening he’d made. A different stock indeed.

They’d taken out at least half their number, and at least half the remaining men were now sporting bullet wounds. Seriously encumbered, making Corazon’s fight a hell of a lot fairer. Barrels noticed a half second later, and began berating his men after their target. He really didn’t have to, Corazon wasn’t going far in these conditions. He was just going to circle round the back, and appear behind Barrels with presents.

Barrels whirled about when his pockets got heavier, to find Corazon dashing away with six new rings. Rings that had been pins to grenades. He tore his coat off, heaving it into the reeling pile of subordinates just in time. The blast made no sound, for all it injured his men further in the typical manner of a grenade. The ground under his feet then blew up, silent, but tossing him into the ice. Dynamite appeared between his legs a second later. Instantly, not as though it had been tossed. He snatched it up, and outed the wick with a deft move.

No one to be seen.He glared about the port, watching carefully. Then another stick appeared in a flash of blue, dropping into the few survivors he had left. A silent explosion. 

Then something small moved. A kid, on the far side of the road, peering out from pots and planters, before moving. He didn’t seem to notice that Barrels hadn’t exploded, or was watching, as he darted down an alley.

His men were a bloody mess, but someone had dropped a pack of matches. Just what he needed. And he followed the little boy.

* * *

Corazon frowned. His pile of muted dynamite kept shrinking. He was trying to take inventory while the pirates dealt with his gifts. Their screams kept picking up and dying. It was moderately concerning. Or at least until he spotted a spotted tail.

“Law.”

“Shut up, I’m helping.”

“I asked you to help the Doctor.”

“And Bepo can do that.” He picked up several of the remaining sticks of dynamite. “I’m going to try and swap this into that Barrel-guy’s stomach.” 

“Law-!“ 

“I’m a pirate too, so sh-“ he collided with a pair of knees. A rough hand snatched him up, dangling him uselessly in front of the Barrel-guy. “Oh, it’s you.”

“What was that about dynamite in my stomach?” He asked, with mocking gentleness. 

“Say ahh,” Law held out a stick like a tongue compressor, “let’s have a look at those tonsils.” 

“Cute.” He got jabbed in the cheek avoiding a quick insertion, and flung the child into the nearby wall. The force of the blow was enough to crumble the frozen brick. That taken care of, he returned his attention to the feathered man, the original thief. 

He wasn’t there. His leavings were, but it was like he’d vanished. There was no noise to betray him, so searching by eye was-

The fist collided with his face with enough force to crack the other frozen brick wall of the alley. 

“Law! Law, are you alright?!” He should have barricaded the door. Locked it. Something other than just closing it. Corazon ripped through the rubble, unearthing his kid and hoping for the best, expecting the worst. “Law-!” 

“Fuck,” Law gasped as he was finally freed. The piece atop him had been more than he could move alone. His face was covered in blood, his skull was tender, and his nose was broken. “Thanks.” 

“Law?” Corazon eased him out, supporting his neck. 

“M’fine, you throw harder.” A grin hurt more than it was worth. “No skull or spinal breaks, potential for concussion. Nose is fucked.”

“You hit really hard,” he was really sick, still. 

“Skull’s made for impact.” There was a sickening crunch as Law fixed his nose, and stemmed the resulting blood flow. “Hurts’a bitch, but m’fine.” 

“Law-“

“Scold me later. Kill ‘im b’fore he’s a problem.” His kid pulled away, tending his hurts. He moved to stand, still greying with worry, when heat touched his hand. He expected fire; his feathers were just like that. But a whole stick of dynamite, lit and silent? 

He panicked, jolting up to his feet. He aimed to kick it away, to get some space, but instead missed, slipping on the round tube and onto it and his back. Barrels’ smug, bloodied face met his wild-eyed decent, like in slow motion. 

Then, oh then, something heavy hit him from behind, just as the wick sizzled down to nothing. Just as a fiery explosion began, so too did a bloody explosion. 

Wolf was a hell of a shot. He couldn’t protect his own son, but... maybe he could protect this idiot’s kid. 

* * *

“Wolf, Wolf wake up.” A loud snapping at his nose dragged him back. He’d died, hadn’t he? Diving onto dynamite tended to  kill people, especially old geezers with a blood shortage.

“What?” He finally snapped, cracking his eyes open. The room was bright, and full of people waiting with concerned faces. The closest face was Zima. Stupid doctor, worried about an old shit like him. “You all better have a good reason for waking me.”

“He’s alive-!” Chorused through the room. Zima sighed in pure relief. 

“You almost died. The Doctor-kid, Trafalgar, he saved your life. Don’t know how, but he worked a miracle. What were you thinking, jumping on live dynamite?!” Damn doctors and their fidgety hands, checking and rechecking equipment and connections.

“Hmph,” Wolf grumbled. “Can I still walk?”

“You’ll make a full recovery, sans some intense scars.”

“Good. Where’re the brats?” He tried to rise, only for intense pain to lance up his blown-up side. “Fuck-“

“Bedrest.” Zima pushed him back gently. “Don’t worry, they... they survived.”

“...you’re omitting something, brat.” 

“No I’m not, you’re just tired and hurt. We should let you rest-“

“Don’t. Tell me what happened.”

“... Wolf-” Zima sighed. “You tell him what he did.” 

“Well,” Redd was right there, on the other side of the sickbed, “your three guests are part of a pirate crew. Not the sort of people we want in Pleasure Town, you know? 

“They’re in a cell next to the Barrel Pirates, waiting on the marines.” 

“Part of a- no. They’re rough kids, sure, but they ain’t no criminals.” Wolf sat up again, this time moving past the pain. “You let them out right this instant.”

“Wolf-“ Redd’s expression softened; their old inventor was deceived, fooled by an innocent act. “Wolf, you have to understand, they admitted it. They run with the Donquixote Pirates. They’re dangerous. We’ll be sure to tell the Marines the kid saved your life, that he’s already a skilled doctor, and he’s too young to get a heavy sentencing. You don’t have to worry about squaring up or debts and the like.” 

“No,  you don’t understand.” He was old and injured, these bastards couldn’t keep dismissing him, so he grabbed up Redd’s shirt. “I’ve actually talked to the kid, alright? Now I owe him my bloody life. He’s no criminal because he’s hunted. The Marines won’t ask questions when they see him, they’ll just execute him on the spot, along with everyone in the town.”

“What?”

“He’s ill, poisoned. For some reason the Marines think it’s contagious when it isn’t. They’ll destroy  everything to eradicate the kid, and anyone who contacts the kid. Let them out. Right. Now.” He was stressing his stitches. There was blood spotting his bandages. He didn’t care. 

“I knew those spots were familiar-!” Zima straightened. Redd swallowed hard. 

“... Fine. But they have to leave immediately. The Marines said they’d be here by nightfall. They won’t get to say goodbye.” 

“Like hell. Zima, quit your gaping and get me a wheelchair.”

* * *

“Law...” Corazon watched his charge tie down his bandages. Bepo was dozing, so the boy could take off his hat briefly.

Law tested the padding on his brow - a brick had sliced him open, hence all the blood earlier - then slipped his hat into place. “I’m not sorry for coming to help. I wasn’t going to let them actually kill you this time.” 

“... that- that’s... Law, I know you were just trying to help.” Corazon sighed. “I’m not upset about that, just that you put yourself in danger. You’re still healing. I’m worried one wrong move will be the end of you.” 

“... I know my limits.” Law mumbled.

“I’m aware, I just don’t want you anywhere near them. Not right now. Toeing the line can wait, can’t it?” 

“Hmph.” Law did look rebuked, even if he wouldn’t cooperate. 

“Thank you.” He started to pat his head, only to switch to his shoulder last minute. Law pouted, but rested his cheek against his arm. 

Unfortunately, this warm quiet couldn’t last. 

“Anyways, what I was going to say was, we need to get out of here. I saw some boats in the harbour; they aren’t iced in yet. We can get on one, and be gone long before the marines show.”

“We won’t have supplies. It’s not good fishing in this weather, no one will have a stocked boat.” 

“That’s fair; you don’t really have the reserves for any kind of fasting. We’d have to pillage first.” He studied the dirt floor of their cell. It was warm enough in here, at least. “Which won’t be easy, since the town’s on high alert.”

“These idiots brought their ship, but I didn’t get a good look.” Law offered. 

“Too big for three sailors, and I don’t know where the galley is so robbing it would take too long.”

“Hostage?” 

“Would rather not. I doubt there’s much loyalty on their boat.” 

“Then?”

“... I could probably make the Villagers turn over some supplies, I guess.” Corazon tapped his knee with the other hand. Law stared up at him, expectant. “I’d have to do something I’d rather not do, thought.”

“Hostage?” Law assumed.

“No, no, hostages are too unpredictable, really. In general. I’d rather avoid that.” Corazon dug into his coat. He drew out a small, waterproofed case. “Don’t listen, I’m going to talk a lot of shit.” 

“No calm-bubble?”

Corazon shrugged, it wasn’t necessary. He wouldn’t be taking it too out of control. 

He leaned through the bars, peering through the gloom. A few lit candles brightened the stone and dirt, and not much else. It was a very small town, to be fair. Two cells was probably more than they ever needed. 

“Hello?” He called, “Can I talk to a guard or something?”

“We’re not supposed to, Sir,” a little scrap of a teen peered out from the stairwell. “I can go find the Constable, though.” 

“That’s not necessary. Come here,” Corazon crooked a finger. “Know what this is?” He opened the little case, exposing a glossy copy of his marine credentials. 

“Uh-“the kid approached, curious. “What?? You said you were a pirate-!”

“Also yes; sometimes it helps to get an inside guy, someone to help get the bad guy behind bars,” Corazon held his finger to his lips then. “This needs to stay a secret, though. That’s why I didn’t say so earlier, in front of everyone. I can trust you to not blab, though, right?” 

“O-of course-!” The boy nodded frantically. “I’ll let you out Mister Commander sir, we’re sorry-!” 

“Thank you,” Corazon ruffled his hair affectionately when the door swung open. “Now I’m going to slip away with my cadets; do you know where I could get supplies? I can leave a receipt for repayment.”

“Uh, as you go out the door there’s a big chest with about a week’s dry rations, some blankets. We see a lot of snow some years, enough that we gotta wait a couple days until we can dig out again.”

“Thank you. Law, Bepo.” The boys appeared at his side, “go find it, quickly now. I’ll be up in a second.”

He pulled an official document from behind his credentials. He scrawled out a quick receipt for the kid. “Just give that to the marines when they show up. They have to honour it. And this-“ another document from the same place, “there’s a fellow in town I’m giving your constable permission to investigate. Rich, I think his name is? Anyways, as a Commander I can authorize investigations, so this is to look into thieving and child abuse.” 

“Oh, he’s been complaining about that guy. This’ll make him happy.” The boy grinned at the papers. 

“Good; try not to get into too much trouble.” Corazon left it at that, and chased after his charges. They were lifting a chest between them. “The right one?”

“Yeah, wasn’t locked or anything.” Law confirmed. The boys looked relieved when Corazon took responsibility of it. Probably a little heavy for them. 

Slipping out the back, the three darted between buildings, with the children acting as lookouts. They made the port just as shouting began in the center of town. 

The ship easiest to shove off was at the end of the pier; a fishing schooner. Maybe not the easiest for one man and two kids, but not unreasonable. A seasoned sailor could manage it. 

Bepo squeaked as he was heaved over the gap one-handed. As reliably as ever, he caught and steadied Law when he was tossed over likewise. Corazon boarded last, after passing the chest. He untied the anchoring line, then jumped on to raise the anchor itself. 

“Wait-! Dr. Trafalgar-!” The three looked up from their unmooring. 

Dr. Zima was at the end of the pier, supporting the brothers carefully. He was breathing hard. “You forgot your patients-!” 

“Ah, Fuck-“ he had. 

“Won’t they prefer to stay here, with the town?” Corazon set the anchor aside, standing. 

“The town won’t be safe until we take care of the uncle. Take them, bring them home in a few years.” 

“... We’ll do that.” He understood that worry, at least. Especially if they’d had a hand in their family’s misdeeds. Two more were added to his very young crew. 

“And Doctor-!” Law looked back as they started to catch wind. “Good luck, finding a cure for it-!”

Law froze, eyes slits. Then he relaxed as no abuse followed. They were already running anyways. 

“Thanks, I’ll need it-!” He called back. “Don’t let Wolf move for a couple days! And tell him thanks, from us!”

“I’ll do my best!” Even as he spoke, Wolf rolled to a stop beside him, looking a righteous fury. He’d escaped the office without a guard. 

“Get back here and tell me yourself, bastards-!” Lively already, too. Law’s wave turned into a fist. 

“No! Bed for you, Junker! Survive n’ you’ll be square with us!” He was uncertain if he was heard, as he couldn’t hear Wolf’s reply. So he settled for just waving. 

Corazon would’ve joined in gladly, but the chop was awful and he had to focus. Their boat could handle open water, but it wasn’t indestructible. 

He had to sail smartly against winter storms, and swiftly. Any sign of sails he avoided. His heading would be hard to discern later, but he’d rather fight that than marines and pirates galore. 

* * *

He took another drag, eyeing the horizons. Still. Nothing. Nothing to threaten them, nothing to greet them. Just ocean and stars... and bright gold eyes, slitted in the dark.

“You’re a Marine, aren’t you, Commander?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cora-san keeps having the same conversations with his brat. Teenagers, am i right? They listen 200% or 0%, with no inbetween.


	9. Compass Rose(inante)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not 100% pleased w/ this chapter, but I will return to it at a later date, when my eyes are fresh >.>
> 
> Feel free to lmk if something stands out as wrong in the meantime! :3c

The dark night hid the way he flinched. Law stared at him, unblinking. The gold of his eyes wasn’t usually so unnerving. 

“You are, aren’t you?” 

For all it was phrased as a question, Corazon knew he’d been had. That his façade was up, and he was exposed, and Law had finally realized the  Truth . His first instinct was to smile, laugh it off, divert the boy’s attention to some other pressing matter. 

He knew it wouldn’t work. The unblinking, expectant silence was not something he could break with anything but the truth. 

“I- Yes,” he finally, finally admitted. “I’m... I am a Marine.”

“Why?”

Why? Why he was a Marine? Well, he told him. Told him of a little boy, left abandoned, beaten, and hunted by the people instead of the Marines. Who was rescued by a kind soul, who was a Marine, who raised him in his image. Taught him that Injustice never wins, that Justice would prevail, that, as a Marine, he could be the change that the world needed. It sounded so hollow as he said it. So Hypocritical, in the face of a boy who’d witnessed those same Marines commit the greatest injustice of all. 

“I’m sorry,” Corazon finally finished on. Tears were spilling down his cheeks, “I’m sorry, Law. I’ve lied to you. I didn’t want you to be upset, but I can’t go on being dishonest. I want to be with you, to keep loving you dearly, over everything else I’ve worked towards, or wanted. 

“You’re terribly important to me, you know. I can’t imagine life without you. I... I don’t want to.” 

Golden eyes finally blinked, slow and deliberate. The soft sound of his charge standing. Law’s footsteps were equally soft on the wooden deck. As he emerged from the shadows, Corazon had to fight the urge to look away. Law stared at him, seemingly dispassionate. But his façade broke soon after.

Scrubbing futilely at welling tears, Law tried very hard to control himself. “Idiot,” he sniffed wetly, “you idiot, you can’t just say shit like that. Fuck.

“Anyways, I figured as much. Just wanted t’hear you say it. You’re not subtle, with all those secret calls n’ coded messages. Honestly I’m surprised no one else noticed, Dumbass.”

“You-“ Corazon couldn’t help the short bark of laughter. “You  Brat .”

He was allowed to draw Law into his arms, and to dry his cheeks with his sleeve. He’d always felt right, cuddled against his chest, and today was no different. 

“I love you too,” it was so quiet, from the enveloping of his arms. He was the most blessed man in the entire world. 

* * *

Shachi woke up to throbbing in his very core, and sudden clarity. Penguin was beside him, sobbing hysterically as he clutched his arm. There were three people over them - a man too large to be allowed, a little kid with a black and blue face, and a literal bear wearing overalls.

Maybe he wasn’t so lucid. 

“Cora-san, he’s conscious. Keep him down.” The kid gave the orders. 

“Hey buddy, relax for a moment,” Large Bigman knelt lower, resting a cool cloth on Shachi’s brow. “Law will see you in a moment, okay?”

“Penguin-!” He sounded awful. Like he hadn’t spoken in ages. 

“He was hurt too. Can you drink something?” The bear offered a cup of water from the other side. 

“Who-“ and that was enough. He broke off, coughing. The kid immediately straightened. 

“Don’t like that sound, keep stretching the tendons and stop crying.” Penguin nodded meekly, still crying. 

Shachi lurched at the sight of sharp talons. Law didn’t care, holding him still with Corazon’s help. He tested the firmness of Shachi’s belly, low over the injury site. It was properly firm, only mildly distended with residual infection. No other signs of infection were prominent, even in his lungs. 

“Dehydration,” Law eventually decreed. “250ml of water every hour, in sips mind. No chugging.”

“... who the fuck-?” Shachi wanted nothing to do with these weirdos. 

“I’m a doctor, and I saved your fucking lives. My question is who takes on a boar with a grenade?” Law bristled at the unfriendly tone. 

“... Fuck off.” Shachi tried to move, only to stop, clutching his stomach. 

“Shachi, stop-“ Penguin took his hand. “Don’t make him mad. He saved us.”

“Says him.” 

“... I lost less blood. You were asleep lots.” Penguin squeezed gently. “He did. I don’t remember lots, I was in and out lots too, but Dr Zima said he did a good job.”

“I want Dr Zima, not this bozo. Where is he?” Shachi grumbled, trying to swat away the bear. “And no pets-!”

“Don’t-“ Corazon caught his hand. “Bepo isn’t a pet, he’s a Mink. They’re a people from the second half of the Grand Line.”

“... I’m going to forgive that only because he’s coming down.” Law decreed. “Next slip up, I harvest his organs.” 

“Oh- It’s okay Captain, people have called me-“ Bepo stopped short at the intense glare. 

“I protect my subordinates.” Law snapped. Shachi swallowed hard at fangs to match those deadly looking claws. “You mind your manners, kid. I’m in the market for a full set.”

Corazon heaved a long sigh. What a brat. 

“How is that tendon stretching coming along?” 

“I’m doing it I’m doing it, please don’t hurt us-!” 

“Good.” He watched them carefully with his scary slitted eyes and shiny, sharp talons. 

* * *

Penguin was now allowed to stand, walk around, and generally live as he had (exercise but not overwork his reattached arm). Shachi was barely permitted to sit up.

It was aggravating. Boring. He fell asleep lots. Usually when his brother hadn’t been by in a while. The angry doctor-kid who’s name he hadn’t bothered to learn said it was blood-loss and antibiotics and strong painkillers. He just flipped him off. 

But periodically, Bepo or the tall guy would visit. He tried really hard to forget the former’s name, but doctor-kid had cemented it with his glare. They were far nicer. They came with food, and sometimes tall-guy stayed to chat, or would read to him. 

“What are you going to be when you grow up?” He had asked at some point. 

“I wanna travel. Pleasure Town sucks. S’cold all the time.” He had to eat slowly, or else he’d be spare bones. So he tried. Broth didn’t exactly last forever.

“Anywhere in particular?”

“I dunno,” Shachi shrugged absently. “Just... somewhere different.” 

“I understand.” He’d smiled then, and it was a stupid, but kind of endearing thing. “We’re landing tomorrow, briefly, to get better supplies. You can’t walk yet, but we’ll start letting you above deck as soon as possible. Law has his mind set on some crutches, or a wheelchair.” 

* * *

Penguin was left on deck to watch over his brother and the ship. So he cast a fishing line out silently. Only to be nearly scared into the water when Shachi appeared beside him.

“Should you be up?” He asked softly. 

“Don’t care. We’re not on Sparrow, so Uncle can’t find us. We need to leave now, before they decide being nice is too much work.” 

“Oh,” Penguin frowned softly. “Is that a good idea? We’re still hurt, and I don’t think they’re like that. They seem like they might actually be nice. Besides, where would we go?”

“Anywhere. Come on, I can steer the ship, you pull on the sails.”

“We’re tied to the dock, and I can’t lift the anchor. I can’t really climb around yet either.” Penguin clutched the sore part of his arm. Shachi was right of course; they’d escaped one rotten life. A new, potentially worse one should be avoided at all costs. Even if it meant being thankless brats. 

“Come on-!” 

“We can try, but later. When you can walk, and we can move normally. Now would be too risky,” Penguin reasoned, “we’re low on food and water, we’re almost out of medical supplies. Neither of us can read a map. Without those we’d die.”

“Only if we die,” he started to argue, when shouting drew their attention. 

“There he is-! Get him-!”

“Shit- shit-“ Corazon was incoming. He carried Bepo and Law under his arms, who both held supplies like lifelines. Behind them, a mass of townsfolk bearing torches and pitchforks. Their hosts had apparently fucked up. 

There was chaos as they both boarded and unmoored, Corazon nearly tripping into the water between boat and dock. They had to then dodge projectiles from shore, but thankfully no cannonballs. A few gunshots through their sails, though.

“Everyone okay?” Corazon gasped once shore was distant. “No injuries?”

“Just our pride.” Law reported. “Didn’t get everything we needed, but we’ll survive.” 

“Good, good... Sorry about the panic, kids, sailed into the wrong port. I thought that island came up earlier than anticipated.”

“What did you do to those people?!” Shachi demanded, forcing himself upright. 

“D-Did you kill someone?!” Penguin asked. 

“Ah, no, no,” Corazon blushed sheepishly. “Last we were here, Law and I got into an argument with the local doctors. Bastards refused to treat a sick boy. Hospital  may have caught fire.” 

“Cora-san set it ablaze because they were very rude and unprofessional.” Law clarified further the level of maniac they were under the care of. “Made me cry. Because that’s a good reason for serial arson.”

“I would do it again.” Corazon assured with zero regret. “... wait, Shachi? How did you get above deck?”

“Walked.” 

He was chased back below deck with threats of skinning and a sword. Dumb doctor-kid wasn’t joking apparently. 

* * *

“So it looks like the stitches on the outside are finally healed enough.” Law tested the skin under his fingers. Shachi huffed, as his body was still sore there. And itchy. “I’m pulling them, then I’m going to check the ones inside.”

Shachi frowned as the knots were cut and the remaining threads were tugged free. “How the fuck-? Are you going to cut me open again, right after I’ve healed?!”

“Normally, yes.” Law confirmed, discarding the last thread in an old bucket. He selected a scalpel from his collection, and drew it over the leather strop a few times for good measure. Once the edge was suitably prepared, he dunked it into a waiting bottle of antiseptic. “If you move, this will hurt terribly.”

Shachi had been about to kick this punk in the head, but froze at the warning. Blue flashed around his wound, forming a brilliant dome over the workspace. When the scalpel pressed in, it didn’t hurt in the least. 

He watched in horror as his bloodless skin was peeled back, and Law began to poke at the underlying musculature. He removed stitches methodically, silently. Then he simply pressed the skin back together, leaving him better than he had been in a couple weeks. 

“... what.” 

“Devil fruits have their applications.” Law returned the scalpel to it’s spot once the blue faded away. “You’re allowed to start walking around now, though you still have to take it easy. If it suddenly hurts way more, stop immediately. No lifting or anything like that.” Behave himself, and he might not rip open the fresh scar tissue and die. 

“Finally.” Shachi started to stand. “Skedaddle, I wanna put on my pants.” He needed out of this stupid hospital gown that smelled vaguely of old man.

“... I’ll go see if Cora-san has any that might fit.” Law distinctly recalled cutting the garments loose, and they hadn’t exactly stopped long enough to go clothes shopping. 

Shachi stood agape as he left. He was going to have to run around, bare assed, until they found something???

Corazon frowned as well when Law asked. He pulled off his cowl, and began searching the pockets. The only clothes he had on him were his, and a spare outfit of Law’s. The latter were far too small. 

“I suppose he could try my pants, but they’ll probably be far too large. Even if i hemmed them.” He held out his white pair. He’d switched to a darker pair after he noticed slight bloodstains on the white fabric, ones that refused to be washed out. 

“He’d fit into these sideways.” Law grumbled. “Guess he suffers.”

“We’ll find something, don’t worry. I’m sure I have something in here - a towel or old flag or-“ he began to empty his coat. 

Law watched his idiot guardian empty his cowl of far more objects than reasonable. The bazooka was too big. Two rigs for Den-Den Mushis, one of the snails from a different pocket entirely, three forgotten bags of snacks. A ration bar and a miraculously undamaged bottle of wine that Corazon ripped open with his teeth while parsing through a wad of receipts. A mess of explosives and three copies of Doffy’s wanted poster. 

Several knives, two sweaters and a fistful of pens later, Law got bored. He went to tell Shachi he was screwed. 

* * *

Corazon came below deck a while later, stooping for the ceiling. In his arms he held a small box, several bags of snacks, a dress that looked about Baby 5’s size and a rolled map.

His charges scurried to relieve him of the food, and the rest went on the table as he sat. Shachi, already grumpy from wearing a blanket all afternoon, looked mortified as he was passed the dress. 

“What-?”

“I found this, it’ll keep you decent until we can get something better,” he smiled apologetically. “It’s better than nothing, I promise.” 

“But it’s- it’s so,” Shachi could barely bring himself to touch it, “ Frilly .”

“Yeah, the young lady it was meant for is into that kinda thing. It’s the only thing we have, though.” He passed it off, and Shachi trudged away in despair. Corazon watched him go, before surveying the rest of the kids. They’d converged on a communalized bowl of snacks, and were making short work of them. 

“Leave some for Shachi,” he reminded, unrolling his map, securing the corners with several compass-like instruments. 

“You have a Logpose?!” Bepo abandoned the rest to scramble over. “And a Triplepose!” 

“Yeah, I learned how to sail on the Grand Line, so I have all the tools.” He patted Bepo’s head. “It was just a matter of finding them.”

“And that thing? What’s this?” Bepo picked up one of the four tools. 

“This is a sextant, which lets me position us using the stars. And that’s a standard compass, which is what we use outside the Grand Line. Since the logposes don’t work out here,” Corazon tapped the logpose, and it bounced uselessly. “You’re interested in navigation? I’m not the best, but I can teach you the basics.” 

“Could you?!” The little bear was adorable, and his beaming was infectious. And now he had taken over his lap. “It would be an honour to be taught by Captain’s Father! Thank you, thank you-!”

Crack!

Words stopped as he turned to the source of the noise, turned to Law. His charge was visibly distressed, broken pen spilling dark ink over his fingers. He was some dark place, by the slit of his pupils, and the wetness of his eyes. 

“Ah, Bepo,” he found his voice, “don’t- I’m just Cora-san, not his father. I love him dearly, but I can’t take on a title like that. Please understand.” Perhaps, one day, if Law decided so, maybe he could. But definitely not now. He stood, setting Bepo on the ground so he could move to Law’s side. “Law?”

At no response, he testingly touched the boy’s shoulder. Gold eyes turned up to him, surprised. “Okay?” 

“... yeah, sorry,” He apologized quietly, “what were you asking?”

“Just checking on you.” He passed a rag, so some of the ink could be blotted out. Once it was, Law was placed against his shoulder. For cuddles. Child comfortably in his spot, he could return to his own. “So, Navigation, right.” 

He turned the map on an angle so all three children could see it. Four, when Shachi finally rejoined them, tugging at the frilly hem of the dress. He was lucky - it was longer than most of Baby 5’s fashion choices. Which in turn explained why he had it; it was probably planted for a later prank. ... Unless he’d bought it himself in an attempt to coerce her into something more appropriate for her age, and just never got to it. He was now uncertain. 

“So this is Haddock Island, where we were a couple days ago.” The island had been previously marked with an X, along with 6 months worth of others. They’d seen many doctors. “Here’s Sparrow and Minion. This island is where I thought we were.” An unnamed island on this map, but marked with a settlement. It was a league to the south of Haddock, meaning the mystery heading of their departure was more east than south. “And this island, Blue Crossing, is where I’m aiming for at the moment.”

“Blue Crossing? We’re leaving the North?” Penguin asked. 

“I’m uncertain. But, since the people looking for us are in the north, it may be wise.” Corazon hummed, “did you four have any places you wanted to visit?” 

“... Would Zou be out of question?” Bepo asked softly. “I know it’s far, but it’s very beautiful. And really different from the islands I’ve seen so far.”

“In this craft, yes,” Corazon smoothed his fur gently. “Trying to locate it without an eternal-pose in a merely blue-worthy craft would be suicide. Perhaps later, when we have a have a better boat, we can get you home.” 

“... home?” Penguin asked softly. When Corazon looked up, the boy looked sheepish, like he hadn’t meant to speak. 

“Unfortunately,” he sighed softly, apologetically, “Sparrow is also out of question. Besides the treatment you two needed, there’s a pending investigation of your uncle. The last thing you kids need are criminal charges.”

“We- you-“ 

“But we’re the ones that did the thieving,” Shachi frowned. “Uncle just collected and sold the product.”

“Were you doing it because you wanted to? Or because he forced you to?” 

“Because we wanted t-“

“Because we wanted to eat. He’d give us bread and water, let us sleep next to a fire, if we did what he wanted us to,” Penguin interrupted. Shachi looked very betrayed. “And if you try and pull that shit too, we’ll slit your throats while you sleep.” Slightly less betrayed. Then Perturbed, when Corazon beamed. 

“Law shanked me in the kidney when we met, so if you need to I won’t mind. And don’t worry about the whole bread thing, it’s disgusting and we likely won’t have any on the ship. It’ll be real food, or real rations.”

“You’d be dead if I hit you in the kidney. You’re so damned big, I missed. It was close, though, from how much it bled.” Law didn’t rise more than a few millimetres from his feathery nest to speak. 

“It was a good shot! I didn’t even hear you coming!” He was very proud of that scar, and his little charge. 

The other three exchanged a look between them. Excitement over a stabbing was unprecedented.At least in their limited experience. 

“... Is there somewhere you want to go Captain?” Bepo finally ventured, changing the subject. “Is your hometown anywhere near?”

“... No,” Both replied at once, for different reasons. Corazon registered the tightening of talons on his shoulder, and let Law answer for himself.

“No.” Law repeated himself, quieter this time. “Flevance... doesn’t exist anymore. Getting out was... I couldn’t... can’t go back... even if I want to. S’not possible.” 


End file.
